Uptown Girl
by NejiKikyoAnimeRose
Summary: Song fic. Neji is Shikamaru's uptown girl. Characters may be a little OOC to fit the song. Shounen ai.


_Uptown girl  
She's been living in her uptown world  
I bet she never had a back street guy  
I bet her mama never told her why_

I'm gonna try for an uptown girl  
She's been living in her white bread world  
As long as anyone with hot blood can  
And now she's looking for a downtown man  
That's what I am

And when she knows what  
She wants from her time  
And when she wakes up  
And makes up her mind

She'll see I'm not so tough  
Just because  
I'm in love with an uptown girl  
You know I've seen her in her uptown world  
She's getting tired of her high class toys  
And all her presents from her uptown boys  
She's got a choice

Uptown girl  
You know I can't afford to buy her pearls  
But maybe someday when my ship comes in  
She'll understand what kind of guy I've been  
And then I'll win

And when she's walking  
She's looking so fine  
And when she's talking  
She'll say that she's mine

She'll say I'm not so tough  
Just because  
I'm in love  
With an uptown girl  
She's been living in her white bread world  
As long as anyone with hot blood can  
And now she's looking for a downtown man  
That's what I am

Uptown girl  
She's my uptown girl  
Don't You know I'm in love  
With an uptown girl

My uptown girl  
Don't You know I'm in love  
With an uptown girl  
My uptown girl  
Don't You know I'm in love  
With an uptown girl  
My uptown girl  
she's an uptown girl

* * *

_**Uptown girl  
She's been living in her uptown world  
I bet she never had an back street guy  
I bet her mama never told her why  
**_  
Shikamaru Nara walked the streets of downtown Konoha clad in his usual street clothes; worn jacket, black t-shirt, slightly torn jeans. His hair, as always was kept up in his usual spiked ponytail that many people said made his head look like a pineapple. His lazy expression was in place and his posture was far from straight.

"Hey, Shika!" The Nara turned and smirked at the sight of his overactive blonde friend running towards him. The blonde, Naruto Uzumaki smirked as he neared Shikamaru.

"What's up, Naruto?" the ebon haired man asked. Naruto's grin widened.

"Follow me," he said. "There's something interesting going on down at Ichiraku's." He grabbed the Nara's hand and pulled him down the rundown street to their favorite place to hang out.

It seemed the Uzumaki was right. There was something interesting going on at Ichiraku's. A man about Naruto and Shikamaru's age was trying desperately to talk to a rather large man sitting in a booth by himself. All eyes were on him. And it was interesting because this man at first sight could be distinguished as the well-bred, high-class offspring of some aristocrat. His clothes suggested it. The beige sweater vest over a white shirt and the light brown pants to go with matching loafers definitely attested to that claim. His long brown hair was flowing and well kept, contrasting his pale alabaster skin and white eyes beautifully. He looked very uncomfortable with the situation, not to mention the crowd of people Shikamaru was used to and loved. Downtown people. Like the big, burly man little Tinker Bell over there was trying to talk to.

Naruto grinned at Shikamaru.

"Looks like his limo ran outa gas at the wrong place, doesn't it?" he asked, chuckling. Shikamaru scoffed and shook his head. The blonde looked over at him, a mischievous gleam to his eye.

"You gonna go for it, Shika?" he asked. "The guy's a looker, even if he is clueless." The Nara looked the helpless man up and down and grinned.

"Ah, why not?" he said. "I'll give it a shot."

_**I'm gonna try for an uptown girl  
She's been living in her white bread world  
As long as anyone with hot blood can  
And now she's looking for a downtown man  
That's what I am**_Shikamaru was gay. He had come to terms with and accepted that a long time ago. He was just too intelligent to distinguish gender differences.

And on top of that, he just simply found other guys attractive. Especially this one. With his pale skin and thin frame, the guy looked like someone could snap him in about two seconds. And it looked like that would be the case if he didn't leave the big guy alone. The dude was starting to get seriously annoyed.

"Look, I already told you, I don't know what the hell you're talking about!" the larger man growled. The other flinched. He opened his mouth to say something, but he felt a hand on his shoulder and whipped around. He stared up at Shikamaru with something akin to horror in his eyes. The Nara had to suppress a grin. The guy looked cute like that. Shikamaru looked away from him, though, and looked at the big guy in the booth.

"Sorry about him, man," he said. "Just lost, I'll bet. I'll take it from here." The man nodded and grinned at Shikamaru, giving him the thumbs up. Shikamaru returned the grin and walked the preppy guy away.

Oh, yes, everyone in Shikamaru's neighborhood knew the Nara was gay, and everyone accepted it. They all knew he was a good guy, so the fact that he was gay didn't bother them in the least. It was one of the advantages of living in downtown Konoha. Everyone knew each other.

Shikamaru walked the out-of-place brunette out of Ichiraku's and sat him down on a nearby bench. The Nara then proceeded to lean against the bench's back, hands in his pockets eyes half closed, posture, slouched and lazy. He couldn't help but notice that the brunette man kept flashing subtle glances at him, only to look away immediately after. Shikamaru smirked. Was this guy gay, too? He looked at him.

"If you don't mind me asking," he said, startling the other man. "What's a high class snob like you doing in a place like this?" The man looked irritably at the Nara, offended by the title he had been given and sniffed. Shikamaru almost laughed. He looked really cute when he was angry.

"I'm just…getting out," he said stiffly. "I was in the mood for a…little trip." He turned away from Shikamaru pointedly. The ebon haired man smirked and leaned towards the other man slightly.

"Where's your car?" he said. "I don't see a limo anywhere, so I assume you took some fancy car with you?" The man looked at the Nara.

"No," he denied, his voice still pointed and making it very evident that he was some sort of nobility. "I walked." Shikamaru looked at him with mocking impress.

"You mean you know how to use your legs?" he asked teasingly. The man flushed and turned angrily to him.

"Of course, I know how to use my legs!" he said indignantly. "Just because I'm born into some well-to-do high class family doesn't mean I'm a spoiled little brat like them!" The Nara raised his brow and looked at him.

"You sure as hell look like one to me," he said. The other man twitched but didn't respond. Shikamaru chuckled.

"You got a name?" he asked. The man looked at him edgily.

"Of course I _have _a name," he said, his emphasis on the word 'have' forced and correcting. "But I don't see why you deserve to know what it is." Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"I need to know so that I can return you to your well-to-do, high class society," he said, sniggering. The man pursed his lips.

"You make me sound like a missing dog," he spat. The Nara laughed.

"Nah, more like a puppy," he said. "You're way too small and petite to be a dog. And you're clueless." The man stood up angrily and leaned towards Shikamaru, a vein in his forehead beginning to pulse, the red in his cheeks deepening.

"I'm warning you!" he said. "If you don't stop harassing me, I'm going to—" Shikamaru scoffed, cutting him off.

"You're going to what?" he retorted. "In case you haven't noticed, you're far from home. This is my area, and right now, you should really watch what you say." His eyes flashed dangerously and the man took a step back, his own eyes reflecting the same spark. This intrigued the Nara. He didn't see any fear in the man's eyes, only annoyance. An annoyance that covered up something else. A desire. A burning desire to break free from something. Something that clearly held this man captive against his will. Before Shikamaru knew what he was doing, he arched his brow and smirked.

"Did you, by any chance, come here to get away from something?" he asked carefully but purposefully. The man blinked, taken aback. But in a moment he had regained his composure and looked pointedly away from Shikamaru.

"I don't think that's any of your concern," he said. The Nara grinned.

"Alright, so don't tell me," he said, turning away. "Good luck getting home." He started walking away and the man felt himself panic. He needed to get the hell out of this place! Even if that meant enlisting help from a cocky, lazy and sure-of-himself man like the one walking away right now.

"Wait!" the man said, before he could stop himself. Shikamaru turned, his expression blank, but his eyes amused. The brunette man felt his face burn with humility.

"I-I," he stuttered, scowling at his unsure tone. "That is, if you would be willing…to forgive my previous behavior, I would like to ask your help in finding my way back." He suppressed a shudder and risked a glance at the Nara. The ebon haired man smirked at him and walked over, sticking out his hand.

"Shikamaru Nara," he said, arching his brow. The other man looked at his hand for a moment before extending his own and grasping Shikamaru's.

"Neji Hyuuga," he muttered, turning red again. Shikamaru chuckled and pulled on Neji's hand, jerking the man closer to him. He leaned in close to the flustered Hyuuga's face and said quietly, "Loosen up. No one likes a stuck-up brat in these parts." Neji nodded vigorously and tried to distance himself from Shikamaru as the Nara struggled to hide his laughter.

Maybe he did have a shot with this guy. He just needed to get him to lighten up, loosen up and enjoy himself a little.

_**And when she knows what  
She wants from her time  
And when she wakes up  
And makes up her mind**_"Wait," Neji reached out and grabbed Shikamaru's arm, stopping him. The Nara turned. He followed the Hyuuga's gaze toward the serene Konoha forest unique to downtown Konoha. He grinned.

"That's Konoha Forest," Shikamaru informed. "Leads out of Konoha. I don't know where it goes though." Neji nodded.

"It's beautiful," he said. Shikamaru nodded in agreement and started to turn, but Neji didn't follow.

"I don't want to go back," he said softly. The Nara looked at him.

"What?" he said. Neji blinked, realizing what he had said and turned slightly pink.

"Nothing," he said hastily. Shikamaru arched his brow.

"Now I'm curious," he said. "You don't want to go back? To what, your high class neighborhood?" Neji hesitated, then nodded. He looked at the Nara as though expecting him to laugh, but Shikamaru's look was one of understanding.

"Why not?" he asked. "Or is it too personal?" Neji's blush deepened. This Shikamaru was different. He wasn't in any way like anyone else he had ever met. And the Hyuuga was sure he preferred him to anyone else he ever met. He didn't feel like hiding from the Nara.

"Because," he said surely. "I don't belong there." Shikamaru shrugged.

"So don't go back," he said. "They've got enough highbrow bitches to live by. They probably wouldn't notice it if you didn't go back." Neji's head whipped around to look at Shikamaru.

"It's not that simple—" he started.

"Yeah, actually, it is," the Nara countered. Neji blinked and stared at the ebon haired man.

"But—" he began again. Shikamaru sighed and reached out to Neji, placing a hand over the Hyuuga's mouth, silencing him. Neji went beet red at the sudden contact.

"I'll show you around the neighborhood in case you decide to stay," Shikamaru said. "If you want." He removed his hand from Neji's mouth and the Hyuuga tried to control his blush. Slowly, a small smile began to grace his features.

"I'd like that," he said.

_**She'll see I'm not so tough  
Just because  
I'm in love with an uptown girl  
You know I've seen her in her uptown world  
She's getting tired of her high class toys  
And all her presents from her uptown boys  
She's got a choice  
**_

_Damn._ Shikamaru thought. He was falling hard for Neji and it hadn't even been a day. Barely more than three hours. The Nara sighed as he and Neji finished the ice cream cones he had bought for them at his favorite ice cream shop. The Hyuuga seemed to be enjoying his time in downtown Konoha. He was acting like a small child at the zoo. Not in the sense regarding his behavior, but in the sense regarding his excitement level. His eyes would widen in wonder every time he saw something new. He had jumped at seeing the local motorcycle gang wiz by and almost fell over on Shikamaru. Once he got over his shock, he had run to the edge of the sidewalk and stared after them, never having seen so many motorcycles in one place before.

Now, they were walking back to Ichiraku's and Neji turned shyly to the Nara.

"This has been…fun," he said. "Thank you." Shikamaru shook his head.

"No problem," he said. "Now, do you want me to get you a map, or do you know how to get home from here?" Neji stopped awkwardly and looked down, the air about the two men becoming tense.

"Actually," the Hyuuga started, his voice uncomfortable. "I-I was wondering if you'd like to come see my home." His gaze was on the ground now, but he chanced a glance at Shikamaru's surprised face. Quickly, he added, "I mean, because you just—Well, I—" Shikamaru chuckled and shook his head.

"If you're so hung up on this," he said. "I'll go with you." Neji turned red. Again. _Gods._ The Nara thought. _He just keeps getting cuter every time he does that._

"I'm not hung up on it!" Neji insisted, a little too defensively. "I just wondered if, maybe you'd want to come see where I live." Repeating the words only made Neji realize how stupid they were. But he couldn't take them back. And he really did want the Nara to see his home.

Not to mention the fact that it gave him a reasonable excuse to be with Shikamaru.

The Nara laughed.

"Alright, you're not hung up on it," he agreed. "I'll go, okay? Where do you live?" Neji bit back a smile and retraced his steps back to his own neighborhood.

Shikamaru's eyes widened and he whistled when he saw the Hyuuga's house.

"Holy shit," he muttered. Neji laughed at his reaction.

"I get that a lot," he joked quietly. The Nara looked at him and grinned.

"So, do you need to work at all?" he asked incredulously. Neji shook his head, slightly embarrassed.

"No. My family detests manual labor," he said, disgusted. "Sometimes I consider getting a job as a mechanic just to spite them." The Nara's smirk widened.

"You wouldn't last five minutes as a mechanic," he said. Neji folded his arms in a small pout.

"Oh, well I bet you wouldn't either," he shot back. "I bet you're not as tough as you look." Shikamaru shook his head.

"Cruel words, Neji," he said. The Hyuuga smiled and absentmindedly took the Nara's hand, leading him through the large iron wrought gate that led to his large white mansion. Shikamaru seemed hesitant.

"Are you sure your parents won't mind?" he asked, unsure. Neji stopped and turned to look at him with mock skepticism.

"Don't tell me the great Shikamaru Nara is afraid?" he teased. "Not so comfortable now that you're in 'my area,' hm?" The Nara grinned.

"Watch it, Hyuuga," he said. "I just want to make sure you don't lose favor with your family because you brought home a downtown man." Neji turned around and continued leading the Nara onto his family's property, effectively hiding his blush.

"My parents won't mind," he said. "They're dead. I live with my uncle and cousins." Shikamaru blinked and suddenly became embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," he said awkwardly. "I didn't know." Neji shook his head, brunette hair swinging behind him.

"It's alright," he said. "While I certainly mind that they're dead, I don't seem to mind you mentioning it." He turned and winked at Shikamaru, and the Nara had to fight back a pomegranate blush that threatened to creep onto his face.

"Well, I'm flattered that you feel so comfortable around me," Shikamaru said.

Neji smiled and led him across the vast lawn that led to his uncle's mansion. He was aware of Shikamaru looking around in wonder at all of the elegant arrangements and material items. He felt slightly proud of himself for having pleased the Nara, and felt a surge of pride towards his home for the first time in a long time. He had no idea that Shikamaru could have such an effect on him.

The two men approached the entrance to the house and someone emerged from the two beautiful doors. Her long black hair was beautifully brushed and hung down much as Neji's did, but it wasn't as rapturous as Neji's the Nara concluded. Her eyes were the same pearly lavender as his and her skin was just as pale as his, though not nearly as translucent. Her brow was furrowed and her eyes widened when she saw Neji approach. She hurried over to him in a flurry of skirts and grabbed his arm.

"Neji!" she exclaimed in a high voice that wavered far too much, Shikamaru thought. "Father is looking for you! He's really angry! You shouldn't keep him waiting!" Neji's brow arched and he released the Nara's hand.

"Alright, thank you, Hinata," he said. Indicating to Shikamaru, he said, "This is Shikamaru Nara. Nara, this is my cousin, Hinata Hyuuga." Shikamaru, not sure of how to regard people of such noble stature, bowed awkwardly. Hinata went a shade of red far deeper than any blush that had ever adorned Neji's face and returned the gesture, though much more gracefully. She inclined her head, acknowledging him, but didn't curtsy as she did with others of equal or higher social status, as she was taught.

"Nice to meet you," she said. Turning urgently back to Neji, she said quickly, "Please don't keep father waiting. I don't want him to yell at you again." Neji nodded and took Shikamaru's hand again.

"Where is he?" he asked. Hinata turned to the mansion.

"He's in the garden," she said. She watched as her cousin led the Nara into the house and released a sigh as the door closed. She hoped he would be alright.

"Neji, there you are," a black haired man identifiable as Neji's uncle turned as Neji and Shikamaru entered the beautiful flower garden. He blinked upon seeing Shikamaru.

"Who is this?" he asked, registering the Nara's appearance and deciding he was some low class scum not worth his time. Neji turned and gestured to Shikamaru.

"This is Shikamaru Nara," he said politely. "A friend." Shikamaru bowed again, this time with much more poise, as the man before him seemed to demand much more respect than the shy little woman that was Neji's cousin.

"And this, Nara, is my uncle, Hiashi Hyuuga," Neji finished, indicating to Hiashi, his head tilted forward respectfully. Hiashi barely moved. A slight, stiff flick of the head and the man's angry silver eyes were scouring the Nara, appraising and calculating. Shikamaru felt slightly exposed. He thought it best at the moment that he should remain silent.

Hiashi's cold gaze fell on Neji.

"Where were you?" he demanded. "I was waiting for hours! You know I just received another engagement gift from the Takeda family? I was overjoyed at first, but right now I really don't believe you deserve it." Neji returned his uncle's look without wavering.

"Then don't give it to me," he said calmly. "I've told you before and I'll tell you again, I do not wish to be forced into this!" Hiashi rolled his eyes.

"Spare me," he growled, thankful that none of his influential "friends" were around to see him breech his normally strict etiquette so easily. "I have finally managed to secure an arrangement with a family that is very much worth our time and efforts and you insist on ruining it! Sometimes, I'm ashamed to call you my nephew." He looked hard at Neji, who was far from buckling under the stare that he had endured so many times before. Shikamaru watched awkwardly.

"So don't," Neji said simply. "I have no desire to call you my uncle. Just marry off Hinata or Hanabi. Unless they're too precious to waste on families as unimportant as the Takedas." This last bit was said very scornfully and Shikamaru couldn't help but notice that Neji's hands clenched as he said it. Hiashi scoffed.

"Do not bring my daughters into this discussion," he ordered firmly. Neji's eyes narrowed.

"Do not bring me into your twisted little aristocratic games!" he hissed back, his every syllable drenched with disdain. Hiashi was silent and the two underwent a fierce staring contest, until Hiashi let out a controlled breath and said, "Very well, Neji, I will take your words into consideration. But, for the time being, please leave." Neji nodded and bowed, understanding that Hiashi's words were a simple lie to get him off his uncle's back.

Turning swiftly and haughtily on his heel, the angered Hyuuga left, followed by a very confused Shikamaru.

"Damn him!" Neji shouted once they were out of ear shot of Hiashi and anyone in the mansion. Shikamaru simply raised his brow and was silent. Neji let out a deep slow breath.

"I'm sorry you saw that, Nara," he said apologetically. "My uncle is a very insistent and forceful man." The Nara smirked.

"Hey, if you don't like it, all you've gotta do is say no," he said bluntly. Neji looked at him, confused.

"But, I've been saying no for weeks now," he pointed out. "He just won't listen!" Shikamaru shrugged.

"And you've gotta mean it," he replied flatly. The Hyuuga looked at him and his eyes began to widen.

"I do mean it!" he insisted, his voice rising. "But he's not giving me a choice!" Shikamaru scoffed at this.

"Sure, he's not _giving _you one," he said. "But you _have_ one. All you've got to do is make a decision." Neji was speechless and watched in stunned silence as Shikamaru waved lazily at him and walked away, heading back down to his home in downtown Konoha.

_**Uptown girl  
You know I can't afford to buy her pearls  
But maybe someday when my ship comes in  
She'll understand what kind of guy I've been  
And then I'll win  
**_

"Aw, come on, Shika, just talk to him!" Naruto urged, getting tired of Shikamaru's stubbornness. The ebon haired man shook his head.

"No, Naruto," he said firmly. "I don't want to get him in any more trouble with his uncle." It had been four days since Shikamaru had met Neji and the Uzumaki had been trying to get him to see the Hyuuga again. Naruto rolled his eyes.

"But, you didn't Shika!" he shouted, hitting the Nara upside the head. Shikamaru scowled, leaning away from Naruto, and muttered, "Troublesome."

"Shikamaru, you're so fu—" Naruto started.

"Look, I'm not totally forgetting about him!" Shikamaru cut in, beginning to get irritated. "I just can't exactly show up at his door and say, 'Hey, I know Neji, can I see him?'. It doesn't exactly work like that." Naruto shrugged.

"Well, then get some gift for him," he suggested. Shikamaru looked at him with a look that made Naruto feel pretty stupid, which was saying something.

"Naruto, I can't exactly afford the kinds of things that people like Neji expect as gifts," he pointed out slowly. "I barely have enough money to pay my rent." Naruto shrugged again, undaunted.

"So, get him something simple," he said. "Besides, you're not the type of person to get someone pearls or something." He smirked and Shikamaru chuckled.

"Just give me some time, Naruto," he said. "My ship'll come in someday."

_**And when she's walking  
She's looking so fine  
And when she's talking  
She'll say that she's mine  
**_

Naruto shook his head, impatient with Shikamaru's patience and walked to the window, bored. He sighed and leaned against the sill, looking down to the street below.

Where something caught his eye. He blinked and did a double-take, but then was all grins. He turned to Shikamaru.

"How about today?" he asked. The Nara looked at him, perplexed.

"What?" he asked, confused. Naruto pointed out the window.

"How would you like it if your ship came in today?" he asked. "Cause it just got here and I don't think its passenger knows exactly where to go." Shikamaru stood up and moved to the window. He looked down to the street and felt his eyes widen as he saw Neji, in all his clueless, well-bred beauty, standing confusedly on the sidewalk, trying his best to be discreet, while simultaneously looking for something. Shikamaru watched as Neji walked over to someone and asked them about something he couldn't hear and couldn't help but marvel at how good the Hyuuga looked when he was walking. Even from his perch on the fifth floor of his apartment, the Nara could see every small movement of Neji's. The way his hair bounced slightly as the Hyuuga walked, the way his clothes slid over him to fit the angles of his hips as he moved, and the way his posture changed from stiff to relaxed.

Naruto grinned at Shikamaru.

"You gonna go help him out," he said. The Nara blinked and shook his head.

"Troublesome," he muttered, turning and walking quite quickly out of the apartment. He hurried down the stairs, jumping the last two and opened the door. Neji stood on the sidewalk in front of him, quite obviously embarrassed, his head swiveling this way and that, trying desperately to find what it was he was looking for. Shikamaru stepped up and sighed.

"Looking for something?" he asked in his usual bored tone. Neji whipped around and audibly sighed with relief.

"I've been looking everywhere for you," he said. "It was quite embarrassing when I ran into that rather large biker from before and he offered to give me a ride here. He was surprisingly kind considering my previous behavior towards him." He broke off and looked down, turning the familiar shade of red that Shikamaru found he missed. The Nara smirked.

"Well, you've found me," he said. "Now, what do you want?" His tone wasn't rude and he wasn't demanding an answer, but Neji still started at the abruptness of the statement. He blinked and a small smile formed on his face.

"I wanted to tell you that I'm no longer engaged," he said. Shikamaru looked at him with a feeling of something growing deep within him and becoming more noticeable by the second. He couldn't pin it as anything, but he did sort of like it.

"How long have you been unengaged?" he asked, grinning. Neji's smile widened.

"My uncle agreed to cancel the engagement today," he said. "Thanks to Hinata I was able to convince him that I wasn't the ideal person to connect our family with the Takedas." He simply glowed as he said this and the Nara found himself somewhat caught off guard. So much so, that he couldn't stop the next thing that came out of his mouth.

"Well, it's about time," he mumbled. Neji looked at him with an arched brow.

"And in what sense do you mean that?" he asked. Shikamaru shrugged, realizing his mistake, but already coming up with a way to fix it.

"How do you think I mean it?" he asked. "It's been four days since I last saw you and you said you'd been engaged with this girl for weeks. 'About time' seemed like the right thing to say, considering the situation." He winked at Neji and the Hyuuga blushed. He returned the gesture and opened his mouth, as though about to speak, thought better of it and shut it. Shikamaru raised his own brow.

"Is that all you wanted to tell me?" he asked, urging Neji to say what he had refrained from saying a moment ago. Neji hesitated and then shook his head.

"There is something else," he said timidly, trying to keep his voice from wavering. "Um, I wanted to ask you, uh, if, maybe you would want to…go on a date with me." He jerked as though he was about to turn his head towards the ground, but thought better of it. He forced his eyes to remain on Shikamaru's as he waited for the Nara to answer. Well, Shikamaru had to admit, he was far from surprised at the Hyuuga's sudden invitation. He had been suspicious of Neji's feelings for him for a while now. And he sure as hell was not about to turn down such an invitation.

But still…

"I don't think so," Shikamaru replied. Neji blinked and tried to keep his face from falling. He forced himself to remain silent as the Nara continued.

"I figure you're a little unsure about your feelings for me," Shikamaru said accurately. "You probably want to go on a date with me to ascertain those feelings." Neji nodded, face going pink from embarrassment at being rejected. Shikamaru fought a grin. He took a step towards Neji.

"I know that a date is one way to figure out what your feelings are," he said. "But there's another way that's a bit faster." Neji looked slightly confused as Shikamaru took another step towards him, so that their faces were very close.

"What way—" Neji started. He stopped when the Nara took one more step towards him and their noses were almost touching. The Hyuuga's blush was apparent and comprehension dawned on him just before Shikamaru's lips covered his own.

Neji's eyes widened slightly, aware that other people were around and watching them, before he threw caution to the winds and pressed against Shikamaru, applying pressure against the Nara's lips. His eyes slid shut and he heard himself gasp as Shikamaru's tongue uncertainly touched the bottom of his lip, asking for entrance. After a moment of indecision and reluctance, the Hyuuga parted his lips slightly and allowed the wet appendage to have access to his mouth. He sent his own tongue out to meet the Nara's and the two muscles fought for dominance. Neji bit back a squeak as Shikamaru took the Hyuuga's tongue between his teeth and sucked lightly. The ebon haired boy brought his hand to the back of Neji's head, where he fisted some of the soft brown hair, pulling the brunette boy closer to him. Neji's hands found and clutched the Nara's shirt at the shoulders and he pulled Shikamaru closer to him, and the kiss continued.

Unfortunately, the air that the two had given up in favor of kissing the other, was soon needed by both and they were forced to separate their lips. Neji's eyes opened and he looked at the Nara, breathing heavily. Shikamaru stared into those endless pearlescent orbs and felt himself smile.

"Did you figure anything out?" he asked. Neji blushed and smiled.

"Yes," he said timidly. The Nara laughed and leaned into Neji.

"And what is the verdict?" he asked, grinning. Neji blinked and grinned back.

"I think," he said. "I may be in love with you." Shikamaru nodded and reached out to the Hyuuga, placing his arms around his waist.

"Well, that's good," he said. "Because I may be in love with you too." Neji arched a brow and leaned in towards the Nara.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he said softly. Shikamaru smiled and kissed him again.

_**She'll say I'm not so tough  
Just because  
I'm in love  
With an uptown girl  
She's been living in her white bread world  
As long as anyone with hot blood can  
And now she's looking for a downtown man  
That's what I am  
**_

Shikamaru sat next to Neji on the edge of Konoha Forest. It was their first official date together and the Nara wanted it to be perfect. It was really out of character for him, but he had put a lot of effort into planning the date. Naruto was rendered speechless for the entire day, a first.

The Nara sighed and reached out, putting his arm around Neji, pulling him in to him. The Hyuuga smiled and let his head rest on the Nara's shoulder. He chuckled after a moment.

"You know, Shika," he said. "I think I was right. You really aren't as tough as you look." Shikamaru grinned and laughed softly.

"Yeah, well," he said, looking down at Neji mischievously. "I think that may be because I'm in love with an uptown girl." Neji blushed and looked indignantly at Shikamaru.

"I am not a girl!" he insisted. The Nara laughed.

"Your blush says otherwise," he said back. Neji sighed and rested his head against Shikamaru's shoulder again.

"And what about you?" Shikamaru asked. "You're not nearly as snobby as you look." Neji laughed and looked up at Shikamaru, a glimmer in his milky eyes.

"I think that may be because I'm in love with a downtown man." Shikamaru smirked and leaned down, capturing Neji's lips in a perfect kiss.

Neji smiled and pressed into the kiss. He was really growing on downtown Konoha.

_**Uptown girl  
She's my uptown girl  
Don't You know I'm in love  
With an uptown girl**_

_**My uptown girl  
Don't You know I'm in love  
With an uptown girl  
My uptown girl  
Don't You know I'm in love  
With an uptown girl  
My uptown girl  
she's an uptown girl...**_

* * *

**Song fic/one-shot. I wrote this on impulse, as I do many of my one-shots, and reviews would be very nice. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the song Uptown Girl by Billy Joel. It's just awesome. **

**So, review please and tell me waht u all think. Thx!**


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